The present invention relates to iron type golf club heads and more particularly to iron type club heads having an improved weight configuration.
Conventional iron type golf club heads are made in several styles notably, perimeter weighted and flat or muscle back weight configurations. Of these a number of perimeter weighted clubs provide weight at the lower or bottom surface and adjacent to the heel and toe portions of the club head. A well known perimeter weighted golf club is shown in Solheim U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,625,518, 3,655,188 and 4,621,813, among others, wherein the perimeter weight is located around the periphery of the club head.
Perimeter weighted clubs with weight distribution toward the bottom of the club head makes it easier to hit a golf ball into the air, which results in higher ball flight, particularly when a golf ball is not hit directly on the center of percussion or center of gravity. A recognized shortcoming of these clubs is a decreased level of feel, particularly to the proficient golfer. Flat back or muscle back golf clubs create increased feel when a golf ball is struck in the center of the club head, however, these clubs are unforgiving when a ball is mishit off of the center.
The present invention provides golf club heads having the features of both perimeter weight and flat back structures wherein the lower portion of the club head has a flat back configuration providing greater feel, and the upper portion of the club head has a perimeter weight configuration which produces a better shot pattern when a ball is struck off of the center of the club head.
The invention also contemplates a set of golf clubs wherein the principles of the invention are utilized wherein the weight of the club head is distributed between the heel and toe by adjusting the angle of the flat back portion of the club head. With the flat back portion angled upwardly toward the toe, there is more weight at the toe and with the angle of the flat back portion toward the heel, there is more weight in the heel area.
Among the objects of the present invention are the provision of an improved golf club head having the features of perimeter weight and flat back configurations.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a golf club head having increased feel when a golf ball is struck on the center of the club and improved ball flight when a golf ball is mishit.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a set of golf clubs having heel and toe weight distribution.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which set forth certain embodiments of the invention.